Act Your Age
by Black Knight 03
Summary: After having to grow up so fast, Harry finally gets a chance to act his age, and Hannah finds herself enjoying it. AU Yr 7 Hannah-Harry One-shot


Disclaimer – J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter

A/N - Over the years I've written a bunch of ficlets, stories around 1000 words, for the rarepair_shorts community on LJ. Due to their length I've only ever posted them on my LJ, but recently I ran a poll wondering if I should post them here and it ended 9 to 1 in favor of wanting to read them. So here's the first. This takes place in an AU Year 7.

Hannah quickly resurfaced after being dunked, and after coughing for a moment, quickly began searching for her attacker. It was a unusually hot day at Hogwarts, and many of the students were trying to cool off by going swimming in the Great Lake.

What had started as a small group of friends, had quickly grown in to most of the upper classes. Many where swimming around, others were playing various games, and some were playing pranks. The most common was swimming underwater, grabbing the ankle of unsuspecting victim, and dunking them by pulling them underwater.

Today, Hannah had the unfortunate distinction of becoming someone's favorite target.

_Where is he?_ Hannah thought as she stood up in the chest deep water. _How does he get so close without making a sound?_ Looking widely around the lake, she tried to find her attacker. Maybe get a little revenge.

_He's nothing like they say. Though, he's hardly perfect. _

_Moody, reckless, short tempered, Hermione could probably give a list a mile long. But he's still a nice guy given all the crap life as thrown at him. Cute too,_ Hannah thought with a small smile. Adjusting her blue one-piece, she continued to keep an eye out for any kind of movement around her.

Hannah had always had a hero's crush on Harry since she first heard the stories. But once at school with him, slowly the fiction faded away as reality replaced it.

He wasn't a large than life hero, just a boy trying to do what was right and stay alive. With the great threat over, and Harry victorious, she started noticing a change. A good change. He was starting become like a normal teenager, or at least as normal as he was going to get given his past.

Harry was smart, though he hid it at times, creative, and when comfortable, had a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor.

_Not that I've spent a lot of time comparing,_ she thought, hoping that she wasn't blushing. _We just happen to be at the same places, at the same time. It's not like I have his schedule memorized or anything. I just happen to notice things._

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something brush her ankle. Stiffening immediately, Hannah started frantically looking around her in the water for anything moving.

_Where is he? _

Hannah had just seconds to register that someone was grabbing her ankle before she was dragged under water, again. _My ankle, but I don't see… Oh, sh-_

As got her feet back under her, and got the water out of her, she gazed up to see the amused grin of Harry Potter looking back at her.

"You know, there are like fifteen other girls here, why don't you dunk one of them for a change," she told him, her voice a little gravely as she continued to cough a little.

Harry's grin just widened. "But you're more fun." As Hannah tried to glare at him, Harry threw his head back and laughed.

For a brief moment, she let her eyes check him over. _Still far too skinny, but I can change that._

_I?_ she asked to herself as she listened to her thoughts. _Well, I guess I never did fall in love. It's usually a running jump off a twenty foot cliff._

With Hannah just standing there looking at him, Harry grew curious. "Hannah?"

Slowly, a scheme grin appeared on Hannah's lips. "I will get my revenge."

Harry laughed again. "I'm supposed to be scared of a little Hufflepuff?" he said sarcastically. Even though Hannah was a few inches taller, he wasn't scared of what she could throw at him. If anything, he was curious.

"Oh really?" Hannah fired back, just before lunging at Harry. Tackling him, they both went back under water.

Hannah came back up first, grinning widely, and then as Harry started to come back up, she pushed his head back down. "No you don't." So, instead of going up, Harry went forward, and Hannah let out a shriek of surprise when Harry tackled her back under water.

As the mock wrestling match ensued under water, both struggled to get the upper hand. Unfortunately, Harry was quicker and stronger, and when they both came up, Harry had her wrapped in a bear hug, with her arms pinned to her side.

"Give?"

"Never," Hannah laughed as she shook her head, whipping her wet hair in Harry's face. "Besides, I've already won," she told him, giggling madly.

Amused, Harry arched an eyebrow. "Oh? How's that?"

"I've got you acting like the little kid that I know you are. Plus," she said before planting her feet and pushing off. They couple tipped backwards, and Harry landed on his butt with the water coming up to his neck. Still wrapped in his arms, Hannah followed and she landed on his lap. With the fall, Harry's grip loosen enough so that Hannah could free her arms.

"I've got the best seat in the house," and with her own hands, she hooked Harry's hands back around her waist, "and I have no intention of giving it up."


End file.
